New to Audible?

People who bought this also bought...

Red Sister

Book of the Ancestor, Book 1

By:
Mark Lawrence

Narrated by:
Helen Duff

Length: 19 hrs and 36 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
855

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
808

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
807

At the Convent of Sweet Mercy, young girls are raised to be killers. In a few the old bloods show, gifting talents rarely seen since the tribes beached their ships on Abeth. Sweet Mercy hones its novices' skills to deadly effect: it takes 10 years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist. But even the mistresses of sword and shadow don't truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is brought to their halls as a bloodstained child of eight, falsely accused of murder - guilty of worse.

5 out of 5 stars

Missed at your own expense!

By
Strawberryskullcrusher
on
14-04-17

Blackwing

The Raven's Mark, Book 1

By:
Ed McDonald

Narrated by:
Colin Mace

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
190

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
182

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
180

The republic faces annihilation, despite the vigilance of Galharrow's Blackwings. When a raven tattoo rips itself from his arm to deliver a desperate message, Galharrow and a mysterious noblewoman must investigate a long-dead sorcerer's legacy. But there is a conspiracy within the citadel: traitors, flesh eaters and the ghosts of the wastelands seek to destroy them, but if they cannot solve the ancient wizard's paradox, the Deep Kings will walk the earth again, and all will be lost.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent grimdark

By
Dan
on
05-01-18

Kings of the Wyld

The Band, Book 1

By:
Nicholas Eames

Narrated by:
Jeff Harding

Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
803

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
767

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
764

Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best - the meanest, dirtiest, most feared and admired crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld. But their glory days are long past; the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk - or a combination of the three. Then a former bandmate turns up at Clay's door with a plea for help: his daughter Rose is trapped in a city besieged by an enemy horde 100,000 strong and hungry for blood.

5 out of 5 stars

Gritty and humorous.

By
Mads
on
05-03-17

The Ninth Rain

The Winnowing Flame Trilogy, Book 1

By:
Jen Williams

Narrated by:
Jot Davies

Length: 20 hrs and 12 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
63

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
58

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
58

Jen Williams, acclaimed author of The Copper Cat trilogy, featuring
The Copper Promise,
The Iron Ghost and
The Silver Tide, returns with the first in a blistering new trilogy. The great city of Ebora once glittered with gold. Now its streets are stalked by wolves. Tormalin the Oathless has no taste for sitting around waiting to die while the realm of his storied ancestors falls to pieces - talk about a guilt trip. Better to be amongst the living, where there are taverns full of women and wine.

5 out of 5 stars

Wait for it!

By
MR D KISS
on
18-07-17

The Grey Bastards

The Lot Lands

By:
Jonathan French

Narrated by:
Will Damron

Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
153

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
142

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
143

Jackal is proud to be a Grey Bastard, member of a sworn brotherhood of half-orcs. Unloved and unwanted in civilized society, the Bastards eke out a hard life in the desolate no-man's-land called the Lots, protecting frail and noble human civilization from invading bands of vicious full-blooded orcs. But as Jackal is soon to learn, his pride may be misplaced. Because a dark secret lies at the heart of the Bastards' existence - one that reveals a horrifying truth behind humanity's tenuous peace with the orcs, and exposes a grave danger on the horizon.

5 out of 5 stars

Hells Angels on Pigs - With Added Style!

By
Simon
on
25-06-18

The Poppy War

By:
R. F. Kuang

Narrated by:
Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 18 hrs and 57 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
55

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
52

Story

4 out of 5 stars
52

Opium runs through the heart of the Nikara Empire, a constant reminder of the war with the Federation of Mugen that brought it to the empire’s shores. A war that only ended thanks to three heroes - the Vipress, the Dragon Emperor and the Gatekeeper - known as the Trifecta. They were legendary figures, each bestowed with godlike powers, who united the warlords of the Empire against the Federation.

5 out of 5 stars

A bloody and intense storyline

By
Luce Briggi
on
04-09-18

Red Sister

Book of the Ancestor, Book 1

By:
Mark Lawrence

Narrated by:
Helen Duff

Length: 19 hrs and 36 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
855

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
808

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
807

At the Convent of Sweet Mercy, young girls are raised to be killers. In a few the old bloods show, gifting talents rarely seen since the tribes beached their ships on Abeth. Sweet Mercy hones its novices' skills to deadly effect: it takes 10 years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist. But even the mistresses of sword and shadow don't truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is brought to their halls as a bloodstained child of eight, falsely accused of murder - guilty of worse.

5 out of 5 stars

Missed at your own expense!

By
Strawberryskullcrusher
on
14-04-17

Blackwing

The Raven's Mark, Book 1

By:
Ed McDonald

Narrated by:
Colin Mace

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
190

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
182

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
180

The republic faces annihilation, despite the vigilance of Galharrow's Blackwings. When a raven tattoo rips itself from his arm to deliver a desperate message, Galharrow and a mysterious noblewoman must investigate a long-dead sorcerer's legacy. But there is a conspiracy within the citadel: traitors, flesh eaters and the ghosts of the wastelands seek to destroy them, but if they cannot solve the ancient wizard's paradox, the Deep Kings will walk the earth again, and all will be lost.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent grimdark

By
Dan
on
05-01-18

Kings of the Wyld

The Band, Book 1

By:
Nicholas Eames

Narrated by:
Jeff Harding

Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
803

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
767

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
764

Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best - the meanest, dirtiest, most feared and admired crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld. But their glory days are long past; the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk - or a combination of the three. Then a former bandmate turns up at Clay's door with a plea for help: his daughter Rose is trapped in a city besieged by an enemy horde 100,000 strong and hungry for blood.

5 out of 5 stars

Gritty and humorous.

By
Mads
on
05-03-17

The Ninth Rain

The Winnowing Flame Trilogy, Book 1

By:
Jen Williams

Narrated by:
Jot Davies

Length: 20 hrs and 12 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
63

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
58

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
58

Jen Williams, acclaimed author of The Copper Cat trilogy, featuring
The Copper Promise,
The Iron Ghost and
The Silver Tide, returns with the first in a blistering new trilogy. The great city of Ebora once glittered with gold. Now its streets are stalked by wolves. Tormalin the Oathless has no taste for sitting around waiting to die while the realm of his storied ancestors falls to pieces - talk about a guilt trip. Better to be amongst the living, where there are taverns full of women and wine.

5 out of 5 stars

Wait for it!

By
MR D KISS
on
18-07-17

The Grey Bastards

The Lot Lands

By:
Jonathan French

Narrated by:
Will Damron

Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
153

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
142

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
143

Jackal is proud to be a Grey Bastard, member of a sworn brotherhood of half-orcs. Unloved and unwanted in civilized society, the Bastards eke out a hard life in the desolate no-man's-land called the Lots, protecting frail and noble human civilization from invading bands of vicious full-blooded orcs. But as Jackal is soon to learn, his pride may be misplaced. Because a dark secret lies at the heart of the Bastards' existence - one that reveals a horrifying truth behind humanity's tenuous peace with the orcs, and exposes a grave danger on the horizon.

5 out of 5 stars

Hells Angels on Pigs - With Added Style!

By
Simon
on
25-06-18

The Poppy War

By:
R. F. Kuang

Narrated by:
Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 18 hrs and 57 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
55

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
52

Story

4 out of 5 stars
52

Opium runs through the heart of the Nikara Empire, a constant reminder of the war with the Federation of Mugen that brought it to the empire’s shores. A war that only ended thanks to three heroes - the Vipress, the Dragon Emperor and the Gatekeeper - known as the Trifecta. They were legendary figures, each bestowed with godlike powers, who united the warlords of the Empire against the Federation.

5 out of 5 stars

A bloody and intense storyline

By
Luce Briggi
on
04-09-18

The Ember Blade

The Darkwater Legacy

By:
Chris Wooding

Narrated by:
Simon Bubb

Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
28

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
26

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
26

Aren has lived by the rules all his life. He's never questioned it; that's just the way things are. But then his father is executed for treason, and he and his best friend, Cade, are thrown into a prison mine, doomed to work until they drop. Unless they can somehow break free.... But what lies beyond the prison walls is more terrifying still. Rescued by a man who hates him yet is oath-bound to protect him, pursued by inhuman forces, Aren slowly accepts that everything he knew about his world was a lie.

5 out of 5 stars

Really enjoyable

By
J. Hunter
on
18-11-18

Sins of Empire

By:
Brian McClellan

Narrated by:
Christian Rodska

Length: 20 hrs and 29 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
260

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
246

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
246

Enter a war-torn world where gunpowder and magic collide. The nation of Fatrasta is a haven for criminals, rebels, adventurers and sorcerers seeking relics of the past. As insurrection grows, only the iron will of the Lady Chancellor holds the capital city of Landfall together. Yet an ancient power as old as time is rising, and the fate of this young nation now rests in the hands of a spy, a disgraced war hero and a mercenary general with a past as turbulent as Landfall's present.

5 out of 5 stars

'Privileged' to read such a good book...

By
Nina
on
27-03-17

Empire of Silence

By:
Christopher Ruocchio

Narrated by:
John Lee

Length: 25 hrs and 58 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
36

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
34

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
34

Hadrian Marlowe, privileged first son of a Duke, was destined for greatness, and he has become a legend. The Sun-Slayer. The Breaker of Sieges. The Crusher of Civilisations. His is a story which defined the course of worlds. This novel is not that story - not the only laid out in the history books, charting the 300 years of his life. Rather this is Hadrian's story, told in his own worlds.

2 out of 5 stars

A story that never took off

By
Patrick
on
26-08-18

Sea of Rust

By:
C. Robert Cargill

Narrated by:
Christy Meyer

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
54

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
47

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
47

An action-packed postapocalyptic thriller from the critically acclaimed author, screenwriter, and noted film critic. Humankind is extinct. Wiped out in a global uprising by the very machines made to serve them. Now the world is controlled by One World Intelligences - vast mainframes that have assimilated the minds of millions of robots. But not all robots are willing to cede their individuality, and Brittle - a loner and scavenger, focused solely on survival - is one of the holdouts.

3 out of 5 stars

good start but lost it's way

By
SlosshyDolphin
on
01-11-18

Cold Iron

By:
Miles Cameron

Narrated by:
Mark Meadows

Length: 19 hrs and 29 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
28

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
27

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
27

Aranthur is a student. He showed a little magical talent, is studying at the local academy, and is nothing particularly special. Others are smarter. Others are more talented. Others are quicker to pick up techniques. But none of them are with him when he breaks his journey home for the holidays in an inn. None of them step in to help when a young woman is thrown off a passing stage coach into the deep snow at the side of the road. And none of them are drawn into a fight to protect her. One of the others might have realised she was manipulating him all along....

4 out of 5 stars

Cold Iron is a Warm Start

By
Simon
on
02-09-18

Skyward

By:
Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by:
Sophie Aldred

Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
250

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
236

Story

5 out of 5 stars
236

Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race is trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible - assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul.

5 out of 5 stars

A Heading

By
Adam
on
09-11-18

Age of Assassins

The Wounded Kingdom, Book 1

By:
RJ Barker

Narrated by:
Joe Jameson

Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
120

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
111

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
111

Girton Club-Foot, apprentice to the land's best assassin, still has much to learn about the art of taking lives. But their latest mission tasks him and his master with a far more difficult challenge: to save a life. Someone, or many someones, is trying to kill the heir to the throne, and it is up to Girton and his master to uncover the traitor and prevent the prince's murder. In a kingdom on the brink of civil war and a castle thick with lies, Girton finds friends he never expected, responsibilities he never wanted and a conspiracy that could destroy an entire land.

5 out of 5 stars

Great start to what should be a great series

By
Swords and Spectres
on
18-03-18

Traitor's Blade

The Greatcoats, Book 1

By:
Sebastien de Castell

Narrated by:
Joe Jameson

Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
407

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
389

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
388

The Greatcoats - legendary heroes, arbiters of justice...or notorious traitors? The Greatcoats are travelling magistrates bringing justice to all...or at least they were, before they watched the Dukes impale their King's head on a spike. Now the land's heroes are reviled as traitors, their Greatcoats in tatters. Facio, Kest and Brasti have been reduced to working as mercenaries, but when they find their employer dead - and are forced to watch as the killer plants evidence framing them for the murder - they realise things are about to get even worse.

5 out of 5 stars

Awesome book

By
Amazon Customer
on
14-03-18

The Court of Broken Knives

Empires of Dust, Book 1

By:
Anna Smith Spark

Narrated by:
Colin Mace,
Meriel Rosenkranz

Length: 16 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

3.5 out of 5 stars
36

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
34

Story

3.5 out of 5 stars
34

In the richest empire the world has ever known, the city of Sorlost has always stood, eternal and unconquered. But in a city of dreams governed by an imposturous emperor, decadence has become the true ruler and has blinded its inhabitants to their vulnerability. The empire is on the verge of invasion - and only one man can see it.

5 out of 5 stars

Dark. Very, very dark. Yet somehow beautiful.

By
Joel
on
13-01-18

Kings of Paradise

Ash and Sand, Book 1

By:
Richard Nell

Narrated by:
Ralph Lister

Length: 25 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
3

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
3

Story

5 out of 5 stars
3

Ruka, called a demon at birth, is a genius. Born malformed and ugly into the snow-covered wasteland of the Ascom, he was spared from death by his mother's love. Now he is an outcast, consumed with hate for those who've wronged him. But to take his vengeance, he must first survive. Across a vast sea in the white-sand island paradise of Sri Kon, Kale is fourth and youngest son of the Sorcerer King. As the first prince ever forced to serve with low-born marines, Kale must prove himself and become a man, or else lose all chance of a worthy future, and any hope to win the love of his life.

Carter & Lovecraft

By:
Jonathan L. Howard

Narrated by:
Ari Fliakos

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
104

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
98

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
98

Daniel Carter used to be a homicide detective, but his last case - the hunt for a serial killer - went wrong in strange ways and soured the job for him. Now he's a private investigator trying to live a quiet life. Strangeness, however, has not finished with him. First, he inherits a bookstore in Providence from someone he's never heard of, along with an indignant bookseller who doesn't want a new boss.

5 out of 5 stars

all things you would expect from a Lovecraftian

By
Kindle Customer
on
01-04-17

Godblind

By:
Anna Stephens

Narrated by:
Maggie Ollerenshaw

Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
42

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
40

Story

4 out of 5 stars
40

There was a time when the Red Gods ruled the land. The Dark Lady and her horde dealt in death and blood and fire. That time has long since passed, and the neighbouring kingdoms of Mireces and Rilpor hold an uneasy truce. The only blood spilled is confined to the border, where vigilantes known as Wolves protect their kin and territory at any cost. But after the death of his wife, King Rastoth is plagued by grief, leaving the kingdom of Rilpor vulnerable.

2 out of 5 stars

Too many characters

By
Alexandra
on
28-07-18

Summary

Discover the extraordinary debut that has got everyone talking.

Mild-mannered headmaster, Thomas Senlin prefers his adventures to be safely contained within the pages of a book. So when he loses his new bride shortly after embarking on the honeymoon of their dreams, he is ill-prepared for the trouble that follows.

To find her, Senlin must enter the Tower of Babel - a world of geniuses and tyrants, of menace and wonder, of unusual animals and mysterious machines. And if he hopes to ever see his wife again, he will have to do more than just survive...this quiet man of letters must become a man of action.

Senlin Snags Me By The End!

It's not often I feel conflicted about what rating to give a book but this is definitely an example. Senlin Ascends really is a pure fantasy, almost a Fantasia in the sense that there is no attempt to do any kind of vaguely logical world-building. Instead a mild mannered small school headteacher is plunged into a mystical tower which is idealised as the height of human achievement when in reality it's anything but. Senlin is driven to explore the levels of this enormous structure, each contains its own almost self-contained society with absolutely no suggestion of anything about how they interact paying more than lip service to logic. It's almost like an extended fable.

This of course gives the writer enormous ease and freedom and Bancroft doesn't hold back filling each of the levels or "Ringdoms" with a colourful army of larger than life characters and crazy inventions such as the "Beer-me-up" I think it was. It made me laugh at the thought of it anyway - an end to climate change? The narration by John Banks suits the tone of the book very well. He delivered the author's at times incredibly clever and literate prose in just the right manner.

To me though the whole thing only really took off in the last three to four hours when a lot of threads came together and the story and its hero really seemed to emerge as a strong character. For this reason and the fact that this will drive you insane if you need any level of logic to apply to your fantasy I'm sticking at four stars for the whole thing.

However, by the end of those last few hours I feel as if I've been snagged on Senlin's coat tails and will likely take the second of what I've heard is to be a four book series when it comes out in March.

My Favourite Book! Narration fits perfectly!

I started Senlin Ascends yesterday, I was having a bad day, one of those ones where nothing seems to go the way you want it to. By chapter 3 I realised my day wasn’t actually that bad. Thomas Senlin, on the other hand, was having a really bad day… several actually, but he’s really good at dealing with everything life throws at him.

Thomas Senlin is a mild-mannered headmaster from a small town out in the middle of nowhere. Inspired by the legends and books, Senlin and his newlywed wife, Marya, travel to the world’s greatest marvel, a tower stretching into the sky with unnumbered ringdoms stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake, the Tower of Babel. Within the first hour of their arrival, Senlin loses his wife in the chaotic ever evolving throng of people and stores in and around the tower.

Now at this stage, you’re probably thinking, how could Bancroft possibly turn Senlin losing his wife into a nice, interesting book, it shouldn’t be that hard to find each other again. Well, imagine you’re in New York City in rush hour, there are people everywhere, and it’s easy to get separated. Then imagine all the buildings look similar and regularly move around. Then take this idea of the crowded, ever-evolving, chaotic mess of this imaginary NYC, multiply it, and start stacking each city on top of each other. Each layer slightly different from the one before, posing new and different challenges before you can pass to the next layer, people with their own agendas who want to rob you and make you do things you don’t want to do and then you have something that looks like an easy version of the situation Senlin finds himself in.

Setting

The Tower of Babel is an immensely interesting setting for this novel. Each layer is fundamentally different from the layer below, each specialising in something different, and Bancroft creates his own miniature world in each different layer. The book is split into three distinct sections (they’re really good indications on where to have a break) each occurring in a different part of the tower, and we get to spend a good amount of time in each of these very different, but also similar worlds.

Bancroft does an excellent job of describing this fascinating steampunk world he has created. He also has an amazing way of illustrating scenes through some very unique metaphors, which I really loved.

Characters

As you can probably guess, Senlin is the main character of the book. He’s a mild-mannered, thoughtful person, as you’d expect for a headmaster, and not at all used to the unfamiliar scenarios he finds himself in. Thus begins the epic development of Thomas Senlin, a seemingly ordinary guy, thrown headfirst into an extraordinary world. I admire Senlin greatly; he takes everything in his stride and just keeps on going regardless of what the world throws at him.

My favourite description of Senlin comes fairly early on in the book, and is probably one a lot of readers can identify with:

Senlin loved nothing more in the world than a warm hearth to set his feet upon and a good book to pour his whole mind into. While an evening storm rattled the shutters and a glass of port wine warmed in his hand, Senlin would read into the wee hours of the night.

Other characters come and go throughout the series as Senlin moves about the tower, but we get deep insights into the lives and driving forces behind these characters. Overall, Bancroft does a fantastic job of thoroughly developing his characters.

Plot

The plot can be summarised fairly succinctly, Senlin wants to climb the tower and find his wife. The tower does not want to be climbed. Conflict ensues.

In reality, it’s a bit more complex than that, Senlin’s character development really shines in those moments of conflict, and it becomes evident how the circumstances and events change him.

As I said earlier, the story is broken down into 3 smaller parts, and Josiah does a fantastic job of bringing the events in each part together for the conclusion of the book.

Other Thoughts

I really loved this book. It’s the first steampunk book I’ve ever read, and I absolutely adored it. The world is amazing, the characters are well thought out and interesting, and it wraps these aspects together with a great plot, and some really good prose.

If I haven’t convinced you of how good this book is, Josiah was originally self-published, and Orbit has seen how good his work is and offered him a publishing deal. The narration of this book is amazing. John Banks does a fantastic job of making Senlin real, and the voice fits him perfectly.

Unique. Brilliant.

I've never read a story quite like it.

Victorianesque in setting and feel, with steampunk elements and an industrious, mysterious tower as its main focus. This single POV story witnesses true character progression and setting discovery. Twists, turns, alliances and betrayals.

Enter the tower and walk along side Senlin as his ardous climb through level and status surprises and amazes you.

Outstanding audiobook

Absolutely loved this book! It is well deserving of the praise it receives, and the narration brought it to exceptional levels. Wonderful pacing and voices and so often I forgot I was listening to a book - everything played out in my mind like a film. I cannot wait to read the sequel!